As Aid Comes to Typhoon-Ravaged Philippines, U.N. Appeals for More

MANILA—Days after a powerful typhoon barreled through the central Philippines, foreign donors are opening their wallets and rushing to provide humanitarian assistance to help the country cope with the monumental challenge of rescue and relief.

European Pressphoto Agency

A handout picture made available by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), shows volunteers helping in packing relief goods for typhoon-affected families in Manila, on Nov. 12. See more images.

The head of the United Nation’s emergency relief arm said it would provide $25 million to assist with relief efforts and launched a flash appeal for others to contribute.

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“At least $301 million will be needed for the United Nations’ action plan for the typhoon-battered central Philippines,” Valerie Amos, the UN’s undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs said after arriving in Manila on Tuesday.

There is a long way to go, however, before reaching that goal. So far 33 foreign donors have pledged financial aid and humanitarian assistance totaling around $55 million.

Some countries, such as the U.S., haven’t put price tags on their contributions. Washington has sent relief supplies, dozens of marines and has loaned the Philippines two C-130 military cargo planes to fly in emergency aid.

It is also sending an aircraft carrier to help in the relief and rescue efforts by providing more resources, such as medical care.

Israel has sent more than 200 doctors, nurses and paramedics to help the thousands of injured victims. Health officials say medical services are severely needed in places practically wiped out by the storm. In cities like Tacloban, one of the hardest-hit, hospitals have been gutted by storm surges and medical staff is in short supply.

Turkey is sending a search and rescue team along with 90 tons of relief goods, including blankets, tents and cooking equipment. Neighboring Singapore is sending Red Cross volunteers and has also committed emergency relief supplies, while Indonesia – itself familiar with major disaster – has promised military aircraft and humanitarian workers.

Even Taiwan and China, both of which have engaged in diplomatic spats with the Philippines over conflicting claims to the surrounding South China Sea, have promised financial aid – though some say far too modest an amount.

Not all the outreach is country based either. The Vatican has also offered aid to the staunchly Catholic Philippines.

In addition to donor support, President Benigno Aquino III said on Monday the government had set aside 16 billion Philippine pesos in savings that could be added to around 10 billion pesos in funds for calamity assistance. He also said the government could revise next year’s budget to draw more funds if needed.

The magnitude of the destruction and cost of reconstruction will only be known in the days to come, as rescue workers move to areas yet to receive government assistance – and there are still a number of them.

And while the monetary value of current international donor commitments remains far from the UN’s stated goal, the total tab for hardware and other relief measures provided by foreign governments could be more valuable in a country where the stigma of corruption and official mismanagement of budgetary funds remain.

In response to the outpouring of support, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said on Tuesday that he was “overwhelmed.”

“I am speaking to you during one of the most difficult times in my nation’s history,” he said during the launch of the UN’s flash appeal. “The Philippines is no stranger to natural disasters and yet the magnitude of the destruction wrought by typhoon Yolanda, internationally known as Haiyan, is on a scale so massive from both a humanitarian and financial standpoint that it cannot even begin to compare with previous natural disasters.”

Supertyphoon Haiyan is being called one of the most powerful typhoons to have ever made landfall. According to the latest government figures, it has killed more than 1,770 people, displaced hundreds of thousands in dozens of provinces and impacted an estimated 7 million Filipinos.

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